Chess Club

Stop in at the children's chess club at the Simsbury Public Library if you want a taste of nostalgia sweeter than any soda-fountain Coke. The 50 cents for snack dues are plunked into a cigar box. Two high- school kids volunteer to pair up the children. They pencil win, loss or tie records on a clipboard. A trio of retired executives offer encouragement as warm as a blanket from the dryer. Books such as "Little House on the Prarie" spill out of backpacks under the tables. Many players bring yo-yos, placing these whimsical toys like lucky charms beside the chess board as they play game after game with the kind of breezy determination that attends the very young.

The Bugbee Elementary School Chess Team, coached by Alexander Lumelsky, took first place at the Fall K-8 Scholastic Chess Tournament organized by the University of Connecticut School of Engineering and Chess Club. The Bugbee Chess team's recent win is the third first place standing for the team in six competitions at the venue. "I am extremely proud of the team for showing a fighting spirit in the face of such strong opposition," commented Coach Lumelsky. "We like playing at UConn.

Joseph Sanady started playing chess more than 70 years ago, when he was 5 years old. Every Friday, Sanady would sit at his family's small dining room table in Budapest, Hungary, and play a game or two with his father. Now, Sanady is passing along his love of chess to youngsters at the Morley Elementary School in West Hartford. But the chess matches are now played on Monday afternoons. And sometimes Sanady plays two or three students at a time. "We want to raise their interest in chess," Sanady said, "so that they might pass it along to another generation."

By KEN BYRON, kbyron@courant.com and The Hartford Courant, March 6, 2013

Over the past few months, police officers have become a regular presence in the schools, standing guard as students arrive and leave. Sometimes they patrol the halls. Some students at Cherry Brook Primary School got a different view of the police Wednesday, facing police officers on the other side of a chess board. The school has an afternoon chess club with 60 members. The police officers, led by Chief Christopher Arciero, were invited to pit their skills against the students'.

The Simsbury Public Library will be hosting a Chess Club on Tues., Sept. 18 from 3:45-4:45 p.m. The event, which will be held in the program room of the children's section, is for students in grades 2-6 who are interested in learning to play chess or to improve their chess game. All children who participate are expected to know how the chess pieces move before their first visit. Through the chess club, children will learn chess strategy, chess sportsmanship and be able to participate in games.

Sean Sullivan sat leaning forward, arms crossed in front of him before a chessboard, waiting for Charles Katan to make his first move. But Sean, 8, couldn't stay quiet - or still - for long. There's an advantage to playing the black pieces, the Wells Road School third-grader said, wriggling in his chair, "You get more time to think." "Oops," Katan said after Sean's queen took Katan's knight. Katan, 69, has been playing chess for about 50 years. "You're the smartest person here and you make a mistake and all you say is `oops,' " Sean said.

Ten-year-old Ashley Morell stares intently at the black-and-white checked game board, carefully plucks a knight off its square, and dangles it in front of her opponent. She lays it down. Gazing up from the board, she peers over the rim of her glasses into the eyes of her competitor. "Your move," she says, offering just a slight smile. As the intellectual battle continues, Ashley takes her opponent's game pieces one by one until she has won yet another match. "This game is challenging, and it's fun," she said.

Spring storytimes at the Avon Free Public Library are scheduled to begin April 7. Registration will take place in the Children's Room through March 29. Also, the Gingersnaps play group will resume Friday mornings from 10 a.m. to noon, starting April 4. The Monday Chess Club will also resume next month. For more information, call Karen McNulty at 673-9712.

For Michael Kelley, involvement in the Chess Masters club is a hobby that complements skateboarding, biking and playing football with his dog, Maxie. Chess, which the Kennelly School student took up last summer, was a chance to dust off the board and pieces his mother bestowed "when I was real young," Michael said. A recent tournament winner in his division, Michael doesn't know if he'll continue participating in the weekly sessions at his neighborhood library branch when baseball season starts this spring.

The New Hartford Memorial Library is organizing a chess-mentoring program for local school-age children. The library was recently given an onyx chess board and set, which are available for use. A grant from the Connecticut State Chess Association will allow the library to buy more boards, sets and chess books. The goal of the program is to have adults spend time each week tutoring children in chess fundamentals. Plans for a chess club are also under consideration. Adults interested in mentoring can call the library at 860-379-7235.

Are you looking for an exceptional, faith-enriched, solid educational experience for your child? We invite you to come and meet our dedicated teachers and families and see what a wonderful, educational future we can provide for your child. Assumption School offers many extracurricular school activities such as: homework club, before and aftercare programs, chess club, band, scouts, soccer, and basketball. Our Open House will be held on Sunday Jan. 27, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Main Campus for grades Pre-K - 5th, and at the High School Prep Campus for grades 6th - 8th from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. If you are unable to attend our Open House or have any questions, please contact our school office at 860-649-0889 to arrange a personal tour at your convenience.

By CHRISTOPHER HOFFMAN, Special to the Courant and The Hartford Courant, October 9, 2012

Instead of killing aliens in video games, a group of local children will be maneuvering queens, knights and bishops to attack their opponents. At the new chess class at the Lucy Robbins Welles Library, 19 children will meet every Thursday for six weeks to learn openings, absorb strategy and practice their game. Logan Bendon, 9, and his 7-year-old sister Brooke have started playing chess every day. "I think it's a unique game," said Logan, who said he knew how to play before the class.

The Simsbury Public Library will be hosting a Chess Club on Tues., Sept. 18 from 3:45-4:45 p.m. The event, which will be held in the program room of the children's section, is for students in grades 2-6 who are interested in learning to play chess or to improve their chess game. All children who participate are expected to know how the chess pieces move before their first visit. Through the chess club, children will learn chess strategy, chess sportsmanship and be able to participate in games.

FAITH MARTIN ST. PAUL-BRISTOL Class: Junior Coach: Meegan Martin Accomplishments: Placed first in the State Open 100-yard freestyle in 50.85, breaking the Open record set by Amity's Margaux Farrell in 2006 and finishing .11 of a second shy of the state record set by Weston's Shelby Fortin at this year's Class S meet. ... Won the State Open 200 freestyle in 1:50.22. ... Placed second in both the 100 free and 200 free at the Class S meet, surpassing the Class S record time of 1:51.

Bethany Grzyb of Durham has been named valedictorian of Coginchaug Regional High School. Grzyb is a member of the National Honor Society, the track and field team, the school newspaper, Junior Classical League and Latin Honor Society. She has has tutored elementary and middle school students, and has done volunteer work at the Durham Fair, the Durham Public Library and the Washington Trail Road Race. She plans to attend Alfred University in New York this fall. The school's salutatorian is William Altieri, also of Durham.